Grand Prix Denver was an unusual event. A game loss given to Luis Scott-Vargas may be the rules story of the weekend.

Called a judge on myself for drawing an extra card when I was drawing my deck that turn. Table judge saw the card. Was rewarded with a GL.

— Luis Scott-Vargas (@lsv) January 6, 2013

But it was a single 1/1 white Spirit token with flying that surprised us all in the end.

Vidianto Wijaya and his Esper Stoneblade deck fought through an uphill battle against back-to-back Jund decks, piloted by masters in their own right Joshua Ravitz and Patrick Cox. Vidianto's timely Perish pulled victory from the jaws of defeat by Joshua, and that solitary Spirit clinched the third game of the finals against Patrick.

What else made the Top 8?

Esper Stoneblade - Legacy | Vidianto Wijaya, 1st GP Denver

• Creatures (8)
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic
• 3 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Vendilion Clique

• Spells (30)
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 4 Brainstorm
• 3 Force of Will
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 1 Counterspell
• 3 Lingering Souls
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 1 Vindicate
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 2 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Ponder
• 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Lands (22)
• 2 Island
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 3 Tundra
• 3 Underground Sea
• 1 Scrubland
• 2 Marsh Flats
• 1 Karakas

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Zealous Persecution
• 1 Force of Will
• 1 Disenchant
• 1 Darkblast
• 1 Perish
• 2 Surgical Extraction
• 3 Geist of Saint Traft
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine
• 1 Relic of Progenitus
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Cabal Therapy

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Jund - Legacy | Patrick Cox, 2nd GP Denver

• Creatures (17)
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 2 Grim Lavamancer
• 4 Tarmogoyf
• 4 Dark Confidant
• 3 Bloodbraid Elf

• Spells (19)
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 3 Abrupt Decay
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 3 Hymn to Tourach
• 4 Liliana of the Veil

• Lands (24)
• 4 Bloodstained Mire
• 3 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Verdant Catacombs
• 4 Wasteland
• 2 Bayou
• 3 Badlands
• 1 Taiga
• 1 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Swamp

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Pyroblast
• 3 Engineered Plague
• 2 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Life from the Loam
• 2 Ancient Grudge
• 2 Duress
• 1 Hymn to Tourach
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb

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Elves! - Legacy | Matthew Nass, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (30)
• 4 Heritage Druid
• 4 Nettle Sentinel
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 4 Wirewood Symbiote
• 4 Quirion Ranger
• 1 Llanowar Elves
• 1 Fyndhorn Elves
• 4 Elvish Visionary
• 1 Priest of Titania
• 1 Birchlore Rangers
• 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
• 1 Regal Force

• Spells (11)
• 4 Glimpse of Nature
• 4 Green Sun's Zenith
• 3 Natural Order

• Lands (19)
• 4 Gaea's Cradle
• 2 Bayou
• 1 Savannah
• 1 Forest
• 1 Dryad Arbor
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 4 Misty Rainforest
• 2 Verdant Catacombs

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Dryad Arbor
• 1 Progenitus
• 1 Gaddock Teeg
• 1 Qasali Pridemage
• 1 Natural Order
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 2 Abrupt Decay
• 4 Cabal Therapy
• 2 Mindbreak Trap
• 1 Thorn of Amethyst

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RUG Delver - Legacy | Ryan Pesch, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (13)
• 4 Delver of Secrets
• 4 Tarmogoyf
• 3 Nimble Mongoose
• 2 Grim Lavamancer

• Spells (29)
• 1 Thought Scour
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Daze
• 4 Stifle
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Ponder
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 1 Fire // Ice
• 1 Dismember

• Lands (18)
• 3 Tropical Island
• 3 Volcanic Island
• 2 Polluted Delta
• 2 Misty Rainforest
• 2 Scalding Tarn
• 2 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Wasteland

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Pyroblast
• 3 Surgical Extraction
• 2 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Spell Snare
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Grim Lavamancer
• 1 Forked Bolt
• 1 Bonfire of the Damned
• 3 Submerge

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BUG Delver - Legacy | Daniel Signorini, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (14)
• 4 Delver of Secrets
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 4 Tarmogoyf
• 2 Tombstalker

• Spells (26)
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Ponder
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Daze
• 4 Hymn to Tourach
• 4 Abrupt Decay
• 1 Dismember

• Lands (20)
• 4 Wasteland
• 4 Verdant Catacombs
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 2 Misty Rainforest
• 4 Underground Sea
• 2 Bayou
• 1 Tropical Island

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Krosan Grip
• 1 Creeping Tar Pit
• 4 Sinkhole
• 1 Life from the Loam
• 2 Disfigure
• 1 Darkblast
• 2 Blue Elemental Blast
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Tormod's Crypt

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Esper Stoneblade - Legacy | Donnie Peck, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (9)
• 4 Stoneforge Mystic
• 3 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
• 1 Vendilion Clique

• Spells (29)
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Ponder
• 1 Vindicate
• 3 Lingering Souls
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Intuition
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 3 Force of Will
• 1 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Batterskull
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
• 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant

• Lands (22)
• 1 Karakas
• 3 Underground Sea
• 3 Tundra
• 1 Scrubland
• 3 Polluted Delta
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 1 Marsh Flats
• 1 Academy Ruins
• 2 Island
• 1 Plains
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Glacial Fortress

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Thoughtseize
• 1 Force of Will
• 1 Baneslayer Angel
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 3 Spell Pierce
• 2 Surgical Extraction
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb
• 1 Darkblast
• 1 Zealous Persecution
• 1 Vendilion Clique
• 1 Cabal Therapy
• 1 Sword of Feast and Famine

Buy This Deck

Jund - Legacy | Joshua Ravitz, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (17)
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 2 Grim Lavamancer
• 4 Dark Confidant
• 3 Bloodbraid Elf
• 4 Tarmogoyf

• Spells (19)
• 3 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Thoughtseize
• 3 Abrupt Decay
• 3 Hymn to Tourach
• 1 Maelstrom Pulse
• 1 Sylvan Library
• 4 Liliana of the Veil

• Lands (24)
• 1 Forest
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Swamp
• 1 Taiga
• 2 Bayou
• 3 Badlands
• 3 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Verdant Catacombs
• 4 Bloodstained Mire
• 4 Wasteland

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Duress
• 2 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Nihil Spellbomb
• 1 Life from the Loam
• 1 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Chains of Mephistopheles
• 3 Engineered Plague
• 3 Pyroblast

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U/W Counterbalance - Legacy | Andrew Ohschwager, Top 8 GP Denver

• Creatures (2)
• 2 Stoneforge Mystic

• Spells (36)
• 2 Energy Field
• 4 Swords to Plowshares
• 3 Force of Will
• 3 Counterbalance
• 3 Terminus
• 4 Sensei's Divining Top
• 1 Helm of Obedience
• 3 Rest in Peace
• 1 Entreat the Angels
• 2 Spell Pierce
• 4 Brainstorm
• 1 Detention Sphere
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 1 Batterskull
• 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

• Lands (22)
• 3 Tundra
• 1 Dust Bowl
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 1 Karakas
• 3 Plains
• 4 Island
• 1 Mystic Gate
• 1 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Misty Rainforest
• 2 Arid Mesa

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Path to Exile
• 1 Mindbreak Trap
• 1 Ethersworn Canonist
• 1 Blood Moon
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 1 Aura of Silence
• 1 Enlightened Tutor
• 2 Red Elemental Blast
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Counterspell
• 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
• 2 Vendilion Clique

Buy This Deck

While BUG may have fallen flat in solidifying itself as "the menace" in the format, it's clear Deathrite Shaman will continue to deliver as a Turn 1 play of choice. To dive deeper into the details, including metagame breakdowns and deck techs, head over to the official Grand Prix Denver Coverage on DailyMTG.com.